This invention relates to medical devices formed totally or in part from an ionomeric resin, and more particularly to a suture fabricated from an ionomer resin as well as to a melt extrusion (spinning) process for fabricating the filament.
It is well known that nonabsorbable sutures can be manufactured from various nonionic thermoplastic resins such as polyolefins, polyesters, polyamides, poly(esteramides), copolyether amides, polyether-polyester block copolymers, and polyurethane block copolymers.
Ionomer resins are known, inter. alia, from U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,264,272, 3,322,734 and 3,404,134. Fibers manufactured from ionomer resins employing a wet or dry spinning process are known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,172,820, 4,226,751, 4,259,284 and 4,343,859. The fibers have use in clothing, carpeting and similar applications.
Commonly owned copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/932,377, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,489, describes both fibers and sutures fabricated from blends of non-ionic thermoplastic resin and ionomer resins.